1926 Oldsmobile Holden 30D

Published in the Tacoma Weekly
Tuesday, 11 June 2013

1926 Oldsmobile Holden 30D (Photo courtesy of LeMay Collection)

General Motors and Australia’s Adelaide's Holden Motor Body Builders reached a deal in 1923 for the manufacturing of fully imported, pre-assembled chassis for GM vehicles. This partnership allowed GM to avoid significant import duties and allowed Oldsmobiles to be sold in Australia at a relatively low cost compared to competitive cars. The Oldsmobile 30 series built between 1923 and 1927 proved to be very popular in “the Land Down Under.”

Holden built the vast majority of the bodies for Olds in the 1920s, but the low-volume models such as roadsters and some sedans were still imported from other factories. With Australia feeling the Great Depression as harshly as the rest of the world, GM ceased exports of Oldsmobiles to Australia at the end of 1929, and did not resume until 1934.

America's Car Museum's “Holden Oldsmobile” was restored by Peter Gifford of Dunlop, Australia. He wrote about his mission to save the car from the junkyard and return it to its showroom quality. "I bought the Olds in 1975 as a pile of rubbish in a backyard for $100, and it was certainly not a complete car,” he wrote. “After six years of restoration and countless miles of chasing parts, it was complete. I still think it was a great achievement to do this restoration in my shed.”

The car is painted Chamois, a GM custom paint for the age. The chassis and the engine used in the restoration are from the same car. The car offered 61 horsepower through a V6 engine with three speeds.

1926 Oldsmobile Holden 30D

Published in the Tacoma Weekly
Tuesday, 11 June 2013

1926 Oldsmobile Holden 30D (Photo courtesy of LeMay Collection)

General Motors and Australia’s Adelaide's Holden Motor Body Builders reached a deal in 1923 for the manufacturing of fully imported, pre-assembled chassis for GM vehicles. This partnership allowed GM to avoid significant import duties and allowed Oldsmobiles to be sold in Australia at a relatively low cost compared to competitive cars. The Oldsmobile 30 series built between 1923 and 1927 proved to be very popular in “the Land Down Under.”

Holden built the vast majority of the bodies for Olds in the 1920s, but the low-volume models such as roadsters and some sedans were still imported from other factories. With Australia feeling the Great Depression as harshly as the rest of the world, GM ceased exports of Oldsmobiles to Australia at the end of 1929, and did not resume until 1934.

America's Car Museum's “Holden Oldsmobile” was restored by Peter Gifford of Dunlop, Australia. He wrote about his mission to save the car from the junkyard and return it to its showroom quality. "I bought the Olds in 1975 as a pile of rubbish in a backyard for $100, and it was certainly not a complete car,” he wrote. “After six years of restoration and countless miles of chasing parts, it was complete. I still think it was a great achievement to do this restoration in my shed.”

The car is painted Chamois, a GM custom paint for the age. The chassis and the engine used in the restoration are from the same car. The car offered 61 horsepower through a V6 engine with three speeds.